For the most part, we all know what culture shock is, right? I mean, at least in theory. But how many of us truly know how it feels to be in a culture that you are not used to and that may seem strange or even completely backwards from your own?
For the most part, we all know what culture shock is, right? I mean, at least in theory. But how many of us truly know how it feels to be in a culture that you are not used to and that may seem strange or even completely backwards from your own? Students especially go through this difficulty, whether they are coming from another part of the world or another part of the country, there is definitely some getting used to. To use my own life as an example, I come from a town in northern Arizona called Flagstaff. It’s about two hours north of Phoenix and about one and a half hours south from the Grand Canyon. I spent a great deal of my life there in that wonderful town and I didn’t realize just how different it was until I moved to the Midwest. I spent my freshman year of college at West Virginia University and I had a great deal of time getting used to some of the social norms and customs. There was also a great deal of physical differences about the area. There was hardly any snow (yes, there is snow in Arizona and it is a lot more than you would think) and even though Flagstaff’s population was bigger than the population of Morgantown and Athens put together, I felt like I had been dropped in a big city where I had to fend for myself.
One big thing for me was the fact that I had to change the clocks for Daylight Savings time, which Arizona does not do. I think many more states need to cease and desist because Daylight Savings is no longer a relevant practice in this day and age. With changing clocks come those awkward times of the year where it doesn’t actually get dark until midnight (an exaggeration, but you all know what I’m talking about…), so I would end up eating really, really late since I was used to having dinner once it was dark. So, needless to say, I was a VIP passenger on the struggle bus for some time.
Another strange custom that I have discovered only since my trek across the motherland is the game, cornhole. I have lived in the Midwest for three years now, and I still have no idea what is so appealing about chucking a bean bag at a piece of plywood with a hole cut in it. Not only that, but I do not see how it is enjoyable enough to have become such a tradition.
In the way of final thoughts, I would like to tell all of the patriots and the expatriates that while you may feel like you are the only one who is having a hard time adjusting to a new area or country, trust me when I say that you are definitely not the only one! You have a lot of friends on the struggle bus who are just as shocked as you!
Zander Myers is a senior studying English and a west coast native. What was your experience transitioning to a new town? Email her at am154312@ohio.edu.
